As cultured as a Simon Elliot square pass

Crew @ Cruz Azul Notes (No Chance)

First and foremost, the Crew is the best representative from MLS this year. They are strong and deep. This is technically proficient and athletic team. Cruz Azul made them look silly. The FMF is an extremely good league and there is a gap in class between the two leagues.

The Crew had a couple of bad bounces and a bad PK call, but they were thoroughly outplayed. 5-0 scoreline was probably fair in the end.

The Crew have a -3 goal differential now. I hope that doesn’t make a difference in the end.

I don’t recall a real good Crew scoring chance. Cruz Azul’s defense was composed and organized, again a class above.

It is rare to see O’Rourke and Carroll outplayed in the midfield. Cruz Azul controlled the center of the field and didn’t allow Columbus to effectively counter.

Brunner was just slow on his challenges. He was one of several Crew players that had trouble keeping up with the quicker Cruz Azul players.

I was intrigued with the Rogers as forward experiment that Warzycha tried. He made diagonal runs across the defense that led to several Crew offensive chances.

Sunday can’t come quick enough for this team. They will be looking to rebound and New York is the perfect tonic.